African American Soldiers in World War I

African American soldiers are often rendered invisible in the traditional historical narrative of United States involvement in World War I. But hundreds of thousands of African Americans fought on the western front to make the world “safe for democracy,” in President Woodrow Wilson’s phrase. These soldiers came from a range of US locations—cities like New York or Washington, DC as well as the countryside of the Carolinas and the Deep South. They were sources of inspiration for many in the African American community, but evoked fear among some white Americans. This primary source set emphasizes the experiences of African American doughboys during the war while also highlighting how they were perceived by white Americans. Use the sources to determine how racism and patriotism shaped the experiences of the African American soldiers.

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Created By

Jamie Lathan, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, North Carolina

Time Period

Subjects

Jamie Lathan. African American Soldiers in World War I. 2016. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America, http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/african-american-soldiers-in-world-war-i?timePeriod=the-emergence-of-modern-america-1890-1930&subject=african-american-experience. (Accessed December 19, 2018.)

APA citation style

Jamie Lathan, (2016) African American Soldiers in World War I. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America, http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/african-american-soldiers-in-world-war-i?timePeriod=the-emergence-of-modern-america-1890-1930&subject=african-american-experience

MLA citation style

Jamie Lathan. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America <http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/african-american-soldiers-in-world-war-i?timePeriod=the-emergence-of-modern-america-1890-1930&subject=african-american-experience>.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.